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Bedford J-Type Contamination Inspection
The Bedford J-Type Contamination Inspection and Assessment Vehicle (C.I.A.V.) was a vehicle adopted by the British Home Office in the mid 1960s. War Role It's wartime purpose was to conduct field examinations of people and places that have suffered Nuclear, Biological or Chemical (N.B.C.) attacks in order for the authorities to gain a picture of how the country has been affected by such attacks. This would help dictate the necessary responses for each area. The vehicles would be manned by members of the Territorial Army trained to use its specialist equipment. Because of its reserved role the vehicles were always maintained in excellent condition in storage across the country. They were only ever taken out on exercises (at least three times a year) which meant that by 1991 they were still in relatively new condition despite being over 25 years old. The Vehicle The vehicle itself was based on the Bedford J-Type civilian ambulance. It was powered by a 2.3ltr petrol engine linked to a manual 5-speed gearbox. The vehicle was fitted with two externally mounted Geiger counters linked to a display on the dashboard for the driver and assisstant so they could monitor radiation levels in their area but the vehicles themselves were not protected against such radiation. As a result the two operators were required to carry out their duties in full N.B.C. suits (an extremely uncomfortable act). Equipment The rear of the vehicle was equipped with a full range of testing equipment and included a small library of information for the two operators to refer to. The vehicle could conduct a thorough examination of one adult at a time and if the operators worked non-stop for eight hours they could test up to 48 people. A single stretcher was in place for the person being examined. Over time the vehicles underwent some updates in order for them to utilize the newest techniques for detection. The '91 Disaster Only once have the vehicles ever been used in their intended role and that was in the aftermath of the '91 War. Years of professional maintenace meant that the fleet that survived the war achieved an impressive 85% serviceability rate. The vehicles were deployed to forward operating posts as the war broke out which meant they were in place when the first nuclear weapons hit Britain. They were then placed under the authority of local governments across the British Isles operating under the Emergency Powers in Time of War Act 1991. Thanks to the hard work of the men and women who manned these vehicles the central government was able to identify exactly what parts of the country were incapable of sustaining human life because of radiation. They were also instrumental in tracking the course of fall-out clouds allowing evacuations to be carried out of areas that would be affected. A Controversial Role Under the previously mentioned Emergency Powers in Time of War Act 1991 the crews of these vehicles were given the grizzly task of offering euthanasia pills consisting of Cyanide. The pills were offered to those who stood no chance of survival even if advanced medical aid were available to them (that in itself was a rarity given the huge numbers of casualties from the war). If the patient was unable to take it themselves the operators of the vehicles frequently administered an injection of liquid Cyanide. Exact numbers of how many were euthanised by the operators of these vehicles aren't available because record keeping was not a high priority but it is estimated that the figure lies between 7,000 - 16,000. Category:Misc